Why overhead arm curls make your triceps bigger
Triceps brachii hypertrophy is substantially greater after elbow extension training performed in the overhead versus neutral arm position
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Overhead triceps extensions produced 1.5x greater hypertrophy in the long head despite 34–39% lower absolute loads.
Common fitness wisdom says muscle growth requires high mechanical tension from heavy weights—this study shows lengthening the muscle under load may be even more powerful.
Practical Takeaways
Replace at least one of your triceps pushdown sessions per week with overhead cable extensions using slightly lighter weights.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Overhead triceps extensions produced 1.5x greater hypertrophy in the long head despite 34–39% lower absolute loads.
Common fitness wisdom says muscle growth requires high mechanical tension from heavy weights—this study shows lengthening the muscle under load may be even more powerful.
Practical Takeaways
Replace at least one of your triceps pushdown sessions per week with overhead cable extensions using slightly lighter weights.
Publication
Journal
European Journal of Sport Science
Year
2022
Authors
S. Maeo, Yuhang Wu, Meng Huang, Hikaru Sakurai, Yuki Kusagawa, Takashi Sugiyama, H. Kanehisa, T. Isaka
Related Content
Claims (4)
When you do triceps exercises with your arm stretched overhead instead of at your side, your triceps muscle grows more—even if you’re lifting lighter weights.
Even the smaller parts of your triceps grow more when you do the exercise with your arm overhead instead of at your side.
Overall, your whole triceps muscle grows more when you do the exercise with your arm overhead—even if you’re not lifting as heavy.
Overhead triceps extensions, which place the long head of the triceps at a longer muscle length, produce greater hypertrophy in the long head compared to pushdowns that maintain a shorter length.